Adult
day care centers, also known as adult day centers, provide social, medical and emotional
support for those with Alzheimers disease and dementia. They also afford the
caregiver relief from exhausting responsibilities of caring for a loved one with
Alzheimers Disease. Many prefer the term "adult day center" in describing
the program because "adult day care" implies the adult person with
Alzheimers Disease is being cared for like a child.

What is an Adult Day Center?

According to the National Adult Day Services Association (NADSA), adult day centers
provide a planned program that includes a variety of health, social and support services
in a protective setting during daytime hours. This is referred to as a
"community-based service" and is designed to meet the individual needs of
functionally and/or cognitively impaired adults. Many of the adult day centers are located
in hospitals, senior centers and privately owned businesses.

What services do they offer for persons with Alzheimers Disease or related
dementias?

While many adult day care programs focus on people with dementia, many elderly people
can benefit. Day care programs may provide:

social activities

counseling

meals

transportation

recreation

medical help

emotional support

mental stimulation

personal care such as bathing and shaving

exercise

education and

therapies: occupational, physical and speech.

Donna Albright, Adult Day Care Aide at the Riverside Adult Day Care in Newport News,
Virginia, discussed some of the special activities designed for its participants. They
play mind stimulation-type games, BINGO, have sing-a-longs, and make craft projects.

What services do they offer for the families of those with dementia or
Alzheimers?

Adult day care offers benefits to families as well as care recipients. For families,
adult day care provides:

appears unable to provide himself or herself with any structure for daily activities.

is isolated from others for more than a few hours a day and misses companionship.

cannot be safely left alone at home.

lives with someone who works outside the home or needs regular time away from home for
other reasons.

What to look for in an adult day center.

Nancy Wexler, Director, Gerontology Associates in California and author of Mama
Cant Remember Anymore, strongly recommends adult day centers. She said, "in
advising my clients on the selection of an adult day care center, I work hard to find
programs which are sensitive to the special needs and predicaments of Alzheimers
victims."

It is also important to look for a day center that meets your specific needs and makes
you and your loved one feel comfortable.

What is the daily cost of adult day centers?

The average cost of adult day centers is $40 or $50 per day, but can vary considerably
depending on your location. Medicare does not cover this cost. Although the cost is
significant for most, many believe it is worth the price. Lela Knox Shanks, author of Your Name is Hughes Hannibal Shanks, A Caregivers Guide to
Alzheimers says, "Day care has been like an oasis in the desert for Hughes
and for me. The costs are now a necessary and integral part of our household budget, as
much built in as food and heat and electricity, because AD is now a normal part of our
lives."

Albright from the Riverside Adult Day Center recommends the person with
Alzheimers Disease and the caregiver come in and take a tour of the facility. Some
questions to ask yourself and/or the staff during your visit:

Is the facility cheerful?

Is the staff friendly?

What services and activities do they offer?

What is the cost?

What is expected of caregivers?

Do they offer transportation door-to-door?

What are their hours of operation?

Is the facility clean and odor free?

Do volunteers help out?

Are participants involved in planning activities or making other suggestions?

Are the persons with Alzheimers Disease treated with respect?

Is there a place to isolate sick persons?

Is the furniture comfortable, sturdy and suitable for the person with Alzheimers
Disease?

Is the facility wheelchair accessible?

What is the staff/participant ratio?

What are the credentials of the staff?

Check references

Check references by talking to two or three people who have used the center you are
considering.

Try it out

Choose the day center that meets your needs and the needs of the individual with
Alzheimers Disease. Remember that it may take many visits before the participant
feels comfortable and adjusts to the new setting and routine. Talk with the staff about
how to make the transition easier.

Shanks recalled her favorable experience as her husband, Hughes Hannibal Shanks, went
to day care. "Day care was in fact a blessed relief for both of us," she said.
It "gave Hughes a new life. The members of the staff, usually caregivers by choice
who have had some training or experience in caring for persons with dementia, were
immediately less judgmental and more accepting of Hughes than I was. They were not
emotionally involved with him or personally threatened by his deterioration, not having
known him before AD."